After months of hype built almost entirely on high-end PC footage, Crimson Desert finally has console performance data to match the marketing buzz. The problem is it only covers the most expensive console available.
On Thursday, Digital Foundry published the first extended technical analysis of Pearl Abyss' upcoming open-world action RPG running on actual hardware, specifically the PlayStation 5 Pro. The developer had invited the technical reviewers to examine the near-final build with no restrictions on their coverage, a move that breaks weeks of silence around how this massive game actually performs on the boxes most players own.
According to Digital Foundry's John Linneman, the performance modes deliver what Pearl Abyss promised. The 60fps performance option holds its target framerate across the board, though framerates dip noticeably during larger combat encounters. A substantial early battle dropped significantly into the 30s, though Linneman was quick to note this wasn't representative of normal gameplay. The 40fps balanced mode proved more stable overall, and both outperformed the 30fps quality option in terms of responsiveness during fast-paced action.
The visual quality tells a more complex story. All three modes render with ray tracing enabled, a technical achievement at this scale, but the upscaling process introduces minor visual artefacts that break immersion momentarily. Digital Foundry's hope is that Pearl Abyss will implement the newer version of its PSSR upscaler, the same upgraded technology that shipped with Resident Evil Requiem, which should clean up these inconsistencies in the final build.
Richard Leadbetter, Digital Foundry's editorial director, emphasised the bigger picture in comments to IGN. My main concern was not so much about graphics but on demands on the CPU. Yes, it can be demanding, but overall performance across the three modes is impressive. But more impressive is really what this game is about: the scale and the scope and the systems-driven open world.
This matters because Crimson Desert is genuinely ambitious. The map dwarfs The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and potentially rivals Red Dead Redemption 2 in sheer size. Getting a game of that scope to run acceptably on any console, let alone maintain playable framerates during intense combat, represents solid engineering work.
Yet the elephant in the room remains unaddressed. Neither Digital Foundry nor any other outlet has been permitted to test the game on base PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X and S hardware. Given that most console players don't own a PS5 Pro, this omission has real consequences.
The official specifications published last week show the compromises involved. The base PS5 manages 1080p at 60fps in performance mode, but only with low ray tracing. Xbox Series S is throttled to 720p and 40fps without any ray tracing at all. Whether these settings translate to the smooth, responsive experience players saw in months of PC footage remains an open question.
Pearl Abyss has pushed back on the criticism, with community manager Will Powers telling fans the studio isn't hiding anything and has been transparent about sharing details ahead of launch to give people adequate time to still preorder the game for themselves.
The developer claims it spent time in an intensive optimisation phase and is confident the console versions will hold up.
That confidence sits uneasily with the decision to embargo base console footage until days before launch. Games that run poorly have reasons to hide performance data. Games that run well tend to showcase it.
Crimson Desert arrives 19 March on PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC for $69.99. Pearl Abyss has committed to no post-launch cosmetic store or monetisation model, positioning this as a complete premium experience. Whether the game justifies its ambitions on standard hardware rather than the Pro will only be clear after launch. For now, IGN's report and Digital Foundry's analysis at least confirm the worst fears appear unfounded. The game likely won't be another Cyberpunk 2077-style disaster on release day. But whether it'll feel equally polished across all platforms remains to be seen.